FORT BLISS, Texas (TNND) — Pete Hegseth is making his first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday as Defense Secretary.

Hegseth plans to visit with U.S. troops on the southern border in El Paso, Texas, according to a post he made on X.

"POTUS wants 100% operational control of the border and we will deliver," Hegseth wrote.

His visit comes as arrests and deportations for undocumented immigrants are underway across the country.

Active-duty military troops arrived in Texas and California last month after President Donald Trump’s executive order demanded an immediate crackdown on immigration.

Hegseth wrote, "border security is national security" before arriving in Texas Monday.

Fort Bliss, one of the U.S. Army's installations in Texas, began providing support last week in response to the national emergency declared by Trump. Military aircrafts are now being used to conduct deportation flights to Latin America.

The installation welcomed about 750 active-duty forces as part of a larger deployment of 1,500 U.S. Army and Marine Corps personnel to the southern border, according to a news release provided by Fort Bliss officials.

Officials have said these troops will focus on placing physical barriers and other border missions.

“As the largest mobilization force generation installation in the Army, we are continuously supporting mobilization and demobilization operations in support of Department of Defense missions worldwide,” said Col. Brendan Gallagher, the Fort Bliss Garrison Commander. “The Southern Border mission is something we have been supporting here at Fort Bliss for over five years, and we will continue to support JTF-North with that mission until we are directed otherwise.”

KFOX reported that Hegseth is expected to visit Joint Task Force North, which is headquartered at Fort Bliss.

Military officials said Hegseth will host a media event and is in Fort Bliss to "see the efforts military men and women are undertaking in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection activities to secure the southern border."

The Trump administration is poised to start deportation flights to the naval station at Guantanamo Bay and Cuba. Trump said he would use detention centers there to hold tens of thousands of the "worst criminal aliens."